Chapter 11 - A Hitch in the Plan
Many parts of the tea ceremony had seemed slow and somewhat boring to Benton. He understood how important such events were in his new culture and thus to his new disciples, but Su’s memories didn’t influence him strongly enough to make it as momentous to him. It was an appreciation that could only be achieved as he gained experience.
On the plus side, the length of the ceremony had given him plenty of time to consider his next steps. By the time the System notified him that Yang Ru was officially an additional disciple, Benton had a game plan ready.
He pulled two pills from his spatial ring and showed them to the kids. “These are part of the advantage I gained when I sacrificed my cultivation.” He felt a little dishonest in explaining his situation in that manner, but since he was nowhere near ready to fully lay out his transmigration and everything else to two people he’d just met, it was best to keep things simple. “I now present them to you as an opportunity.”
The siblings looked at each other, and a silence built.
Finally, Yang Xiu said, “Senior Brother Chao, what do the pills do?”
Benton drew heavily on Su’s knowledge to offer his explanation. “Ah. I’m glad you asked. Methods to improve your innate spiritual roots are extremely limited in both quantity and quality, but this is one of those ways, one that happens to be the most effective known for your cultivation stage. It is quite rare and precious, and it comes with two unique conditions for use. First, you may only take one of these pills in your lifetime. Any subsequent consumption will damage your spiritual roots, perhaps catastrophically. Second, this pill is only effective if it is taken prior to the start of your cultivation journey.
“To be very clear, this is an immense opportunity for you, but you do not have to accept it. This pill is so rare that I had never seen one until I acquired these two. I certainly have not witnessed their impact on anyone using one of them. Typically, though, such pills tend to be … painful. Agonizing would probably be a more apt description. The pill will not harm you, will not kill you, but it will likely make you desire such an end just to stop the hurt.”
Benton wanted both of his new disciples to take one of the pills, and he knew that his description of the likely suffering involved didn’t exactly further that goal. He was honest with them for three reasons. One, it further built trust between them. Were he to just stuff the pills in their respective mouths, they’d have improved spiritual roots but would blame him for their suffering. Two, it tested their resolve. If they weren’t willing to suffer pain to advance, he’d have to temper his expectations for their ceiling as cultivators. Third, it just felt like the right thing to do. He’d certainly want to know if it were him.
The siblings again shared a glance, their expressions concerned.
“Senior Brother Chao,” Yang Xiu said, “this low… I apologize, but I do not fully understand the benefit of the opportunity you are so generously offering us.”
Benton almost laughed. In a similar situation back on Earth, one of his protégés would have said something like, “Are you freaking crazy, bro? Why the freak would I take something that’s going to hurt? Unless it makes hundred-dollar bills rain down from heaven into my pockets, you can take your pill and stuff it.”
Yang Xiu’s version was much more polite.